This invention relates to a cashdrawer apparatus serving as a POS terminal in a shop or the like.
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional cashdrawer apparatus.
A drawer 201 is equipped with rollers 203 provided at a rear end thereof. The rollers 203 are rotatably supported by means of nuts 204. A boxlike cashdrawer body 4 has an opening or aperture at its front end and has a hollow space therein. The drawer 201 is slidably inserted into or pulled out of the cashdrawer body 4, being guided by rollers 401 provided at inside walls of the cashdrawer body 4.
A cash casing 301 is placed in the drawer 201. A coin casing 302 is detachably assembled in a laterally extending front space of the cash casing 301. A banknote depressor 306 is swingably supported at a front end of a fixing plate 305 for holding banknotes or the like stored in the cash casing 301.
A microswitch 1011 performs counting operation in response to open and close operation of the drawer 201. The microswitch 1011 detects the number of times the drawer is opened or closed. The detected number of times is transmitted from the terminal (i.e., the cashdrawer apparatus) to an operation center (not shown), such as an administration office of a fast food chain, via a cable 107.
A banknote depressing spring 307, connected to the fixing plate 305 at its upper end and connected to the central portion of the banknote depressor 306 at its lower end, resiliently depresses the banknotes or the like accommodated in the cash casing 301. A partition wall 304 separates the inside space of the cash casing 301 into a plurality of subsections each extending in the back-and-forth direction (i.e., a sliding direction of the drawer 201). Each subsection has a size substantially equivalent to the banknotes stored in this cashdrawer apparatus, so that an operator can sort banknotes according to their kinds. Furthermore, a bottom space beneath the coin casing 302 allows the operator to store additional banknotes.
The microswitch 1011 is fixed via an insulating plate 1013 to a bracket 104 by means of screws 1012. A solenoid 109 is also fixed to the bracket 104 by means of screws 1010.
A drawer opening spring 1016, provided at the behind side of the drawer 201, resiliently urges the drawer 201 so that the drawer 201 can be smoothly pulled out of the cashdrawer body 4 when the drawer 201 is unlocked. The drawer opening spring 1016 is fixed via a rubber member 1015 to a fixing plate 1014 by means of a screw 1017.
FIG. 9 shows an opened position of a drawer open-and-close mechanism of the above-described conventional cashdrawer.
To close the drawer 201, the operator pushes a push plate 209 located at a behind side of the drawer 201. The push plate 209 shifts in a direction shown by an arrow (i.e., in the left direction). The push plate 209 pushes a swing lever 102. The swing lever 102 swings about its swing shaft 101 in the counterclockwise direction against a resilient force of a spring 105. A protrusion 1030 depresses a microswitch lever 1018 to shift a contact of the microswitch 1011 to a closed (i.e., ON) position. In response to each depression of the microswitch lever 1018, the microswitch 1011 counts the number of times the drawer 201 is opened or closed.
FIG. 10 shows a closed position of the drawer open-and-close mechanism of the above-described conventional cashdrawer. When the drawer 201 is completely closed, the swing lever 102 engages with a solenoid open lever 103. In this closed position, the protrusion 1030 does not depress the microswitch lever 1018. Thus, the contact of the microswitch 1011 returns to an opened (i.e., OFF) position.
A key cylinder 205 is provided at an appropriate portion on a decorative panel 202 attached on the front wall of the drawer 201. When the operator inserts a key in the key cylinder 205 and turns the key to open the drawer 201 from the closed condition shown in FIG. 10, a drawer open lever 2011 shifts in a direction shown by an arrow (i.e., in the left direction) and pushes the solenoid open lever 103. The swing lever 102 is disengaged from the solenoid open lever 103 and swings about the swing shaft 101 in the clockwise direction due to the resilient force of the spring 105. The swing lever 102 disengages from the push plate 209. Thus, the drawer 201 can be opened.
According to the above-described conventional cashdrawer apparatus, the swing lever 102 is directly brought into contact with the push plate 209. When the operator pushes the drawer 201, the microswitch lever 1018 may be erroneously depressed several times. This will induce chattering of the microswitch 1011. The chattering phenomenon causes a problem that the count value of the microswitch 1011 does not correctly agree with actual open or close operations of the drawer 201.
In view of the foregoing problems, the present invention has an object to provide a banknote holder installable or addable to a conventional cashdrawer apparatus when new kinds of banknodes are issued.
Another object of the present invention is to prevent an operator from being injured by a sharp edge of a banknote depressing spring.
Another object of the present invention is to realize easy insertion of banknotes into a front dead space of a cash casing.
Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the chattering of a microswitch which counts the number of times the drawer is opened or closed.
To accomplish the above and other related objects, the present invention provides a first cashdrawer apparatus comprising a cash casing for storing banknotes, wherein a banknote holder is installed to the cash casing in a cantilever fashion. The banknote holder partitions banknotes stored in the cash casing so that some banknotes can be stored on the banknote holder while other banknotes can be stored beneath the banknote holder. And, the banknote holder depresses the banknotes stacked on the banknote holder.
According to the first cashdrawer apparatus, when new kinds of banknotes are issued, a conventional cashdrawer apparatus can be continuously used by additionally installing the banknote holder of the present invention.
According to the first cashdrawer apparatus, it is preferable that the first cashdrawer apparatus further comprises a banknote depressing spring assembled in the banknote holder for giving a resilient force for depressing the banknotes stacked on the banknote holder. A hook is equipped at one end of the banknote depressing spring. A diameter of the banknote depressing spring is larger than a diameter of a main body of the banknote depressing spring. The hook has a hook end directed upward so as to prevent an operator""s finger from being injured by the hook end when the banknotes are stored in or taken out of the cash casing.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a second cashdrawer apparatus comprising a coin casing serving as part of a cash casing. A banknote insertion slit laterally extends as a clearance between the coin casing and the cash casing.
With this arrangement, the operator can easily insert banknotes into a front dead space of the cash casing.
According to the first and second cashdrawer apparatus, it is preferable that a balance weight is provided at a rear side of a cashdrawer body so as to prevent the cashdrawer from leaning forward, and the balance weight is positioned so as not to cause interference with a drawer open-and-close mechanism.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a third cashdrawer apparatus comprising a push plate located at a rear end of a drawer, a swing lever positioned near the push plate and swingable about a swing shaft when the swing lever is pushed by the push plate, and an operation lever engageable with an engaging shaft of the swing lever so as to shift in a predetermined direction during a swing motion of the swing lever. The operation lever disengages from the engaging shaft of the swing lever when the drawer is closed. A microswitch is operative in response to a shift motion of the operation lever for counting the number of times the drawer is opened or closed. Thus, the microswitch is depressed only when the engaging shaft is brought into contact with the operation lever, thereby preventing chattering of the microswitch.